Someday the Dream Will End...

We have arrived at the eve of Final Fantasy XIII.

Are you ready?!?!?

This is a momentous occasion, and I have been looking forward to it since I heard the first whisperings of it back when X-2 was released. Yes, I remember seeing a very early screenshot of Lightening in an issue of Gamepro magazine, and hardly imagining how they could be working so far ahead. I probably still have that somewhere, actually.......

So, because it's both a Monday and the eve of either the best or worst Final Fantasy game ever, I've dedicated this week's top five list to my favorite things about Final Fantasy:

1.) The Music: Originally, this list was going to be about my favorite songs in the series, but they were almost all from Final Fantasy X. Often, I've listened to it and mourned the fact that most people will never appreciate it because of the "game" music aspect. Simply put, Final Fantasy music is beautiful, and always a great compliment to Square's storytelling. Bonus factioid: "To Zanarkand" is my favorite song in the entire series.

2.) Dramatic stories: This is perhaps a point of contention for some gamers. Personally, I *like* that Final Fantasy games lay on the melodrama and story with little abandon. I like to think of each game like a sweeping symphony. The only thing I would like to see eventually, is perhaps a little more mature content. I'm not asking for Mass Effect sex scenes, thank you, but characters could, you know....bleed?

3.) Chocobos: Having been raised on a chicken farm, it's kind of obligatory. Don't ask me why.

4.) Intertwining threads: You can be pretty much assured that Final Fantasy games will encompass -in some fashion or another- airships, Chocobos, Moogles, Cid, Ethers/Guardians, and an Ultima boss. This is what makes Final Fantasy a series, and is what didn't make "The Spirits Within" a Final Fantasy movie. Incidentaly, I've never beaten an Ultima boss. <=Life goal.

5.) Bahamut: He's just badass.

That's a somewhat generalized list, though if I don't paint in broad strokes, I end up in fits of maniacal obsession (I could have gone on for pages, if I'd gone for the "favorite songs" list). Agree? Disagree? Debate amongst yourselves, nonexistent readers. I'll just be off rewatching old cutscenes while I wait for midnight.